Video: NDTV Reporter, On Roof Of Vehicle, Narrates Uttarakhand Devastation

After walking for over 18 km, NDTV's Kishor Kumar Rawat took a ride on the roof of a vehicle from Uttarakhand's Harshil, which was struck by a cloudburst.

With few vehicles available, Mr Rawat said people cooperated and helped each other in sharing space in vehicles to get to safer areas.

"I had to travel on the roof of this vehicle because there was no seat available," Mr Rawat said.

A huge lake has formed in the area where flash floods washed away structures. When seen from a road that went uphill, the newly formed lake below looked like any other lake.

But it had swallowed a helipad and many structures. A small pole is still visible protruding out of the water, like a periscope.

A cloudburst earlier this week led to flash floods in the high-altitude Uttarkashi district, damaging and sweeping away structures and people.

"The roads here are steep and slippery, definitely dangerous," Mr Kumar said.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) today said they are working overtime to reconnect the Rishikesh-Gangotri road following the devastating cloudburst and rain in Uttarakhand, which left hundreds of devotees stranded in Gangotri.

"BRO is working around the clock to restore the connectivity of the vital Rishikesh-Gangotri route along National Highway 34, as it is one of the most critical connections in the entire region," an official said.

A 90-foot Bailey bridge, the official said, is under rapid construction at Limchigad to reconnect the vital Rishikesh-Gangotri route.

"The bridge at Limchigad (km 214.05) was completely washed away, severing access to the upper reaches of the Uttarkashi-Gangotri axis," he said.

The official said that at Dharali, 300 metres of muck is being removed, while heavy machines are deployed to rebuild washed-out road sections.